Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: lenador on September 28, 2014, 11:24:48 pm
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So after a good hunt I found what appears to be the most perfect section of Osage for making bows.about 75" long and 9.5" wide. I think I can get 4 staves out of it? What is a typical stave measurement? (http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d31/PORTnPOLISH97/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20140927_135429.jpg) (http://s32.photobucket.com/user/PORTnPOLISH97/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20140927_135429.jpg.html)
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Here is the growth rings and width.
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d31/PORTnPOLISH97/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20140927_160927808.jpg) (http://s32.photobucket.com/user/PORTnPOLISH97/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20140927_160927808.jpg.html)
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Oh and here is my first attempt at splitting staves. This was a shorter piece. About 55" long And 6" wide. I figured a good piece would make a nice set of billets. I haven't split the big beautiful straight on yet because I'm nervous to ruin it Haha. I should have them all split and seal within this week.
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(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d31/PORTnPOLISH97/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20140927_181821730.jpg) (http://s32.photobucket.com/user/PORTnPOLISH97/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20140927_181821730.jpg.html)
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Now that is a pretty piece of osage. Its clean, straight, and thick ringed. Make sure you seal the ends right away if you haven't already. If it splits clean you should get more than 4 staves out of it. Post some pictures of it all split into staves. Good luck with it.
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I wanted to seal it right away but I figured I would have to split it before I sealed it. If not I'll seal it right away. It would be nice to end up with more than 4!
Yeah there was an old Osage a few feet over and it looks like a fallen fruit sprouted 4 different Osages all next to each so they went straight up battling for light. This one was the longest at 75" so we took her and left the others. I even got 5 nice walking sticks out of it.
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Seal the ends as soon as you can with several coats of poly, shellac, glue, etc. I put the first coat on the ends before I drag them out. When you remove the bark and sapwood seal the backs the same way.
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you are a very lucky man..that is some great wood...john
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Okay, I'll do my best to get it all split and sealed tonight.
Thanks!
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That's about as clean a piece of Osage as I've seen. Should make some nice bows.
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(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d31/PORTnPOLISH97/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20140929_124916203.jpg) (http://s32.photobucket.com/user/PORTnPOLISH97/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20140929_124916203.jpg.html)
Here is one of the staves I finished from my smaller practice piece. I think have the sizing down pretty good. Once I have them all split I'll seal the edges and then little bynlittle strip the bark and sap wood And seal the backs.
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Seal all the ends asap. If you don't have time to debark them you can leave the bark on indefinitely but spray the bark down with a bug spray to keep borers from attacking the staves. The bArk will act the same as sealing the raw backs to slow the moisture escaping to contr checking. I have stripped staves after 10 years stored in my basement with excellent results. By the time this old man gets done cutting, and splitting I am to tired to debark also.
Also I have never sealed the split edges, only the ends and stripped backs. Moisture has to have some way to escape.
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Don't seal the edges. The moisture need some place to escape and the edges don't check. Just seal the ends now and the back if you remove the bark and sapwood.
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A little misunderstanding 🙌 I meant to say seal the ends not seal the edges. My bad.
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Looks awesome
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Here is what I ended up with. I've got the ends sealed and all. The shorter on I hope to make either a short bow for practice and or billets. The longer o es I may have been able to split smaller but being such a nice piece of wood and my first time I got nervous. Now on to the walking sticks, sapling bow and then to peel the backs of the staves and seal them.(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d31/PORTnPOLISH97/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20140930_125707389.jpg) (http://s32.photobucket.com/user/PORTnPOLISH97/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20140930_125707389.jpg.html)
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Nice haul! How long are the shorter staves? Hang on to them. They look like they might be good pieces for short sinew backed bows.
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The short ones are between 50-52" long. Not as straight as the long ones.
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Nice work! Definitely better not to get greedy...you can always split one again later, especially if you find that you like d bows since they can be narrower.
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Yeah that's what I figured too.
There is seven long ones there. I'm hoping to try to trade one for an already seasoned stave.
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beautiful piece of osage.
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That is some beautiful looking wood,nice haul . :)
Pappy
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Thanks guys. Now I just have to put it away somewhere and wait it out to perfection. Will keeping these in the winter ruin them? It gets below zero here and if its like last year it will be way below zero often. And then I'm in the shop about half the week so the temp will be going up when I use my wood burner and down when I'm not.
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Freezing temperatures will not hurt them. Keeping them out of the weather outside is the main thing.
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What a nice wood!
I love Osage :D
What a pitty that i doesn't grow here ::)